Othello

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Musical Devices:

Choose one of the following and respond in the discussion tab above (you do not need to respond to a classmate's posting):
A. Analyze the use AND effectiveness of alliteration and/or assonance in one of the following:
  1. Shakespeare, "Shall I compare there to a summer's day?" (656)
  2. Dickinson, "There's a certain slant of light" (920)
  3. Donne, "The Good-Morrow" (957)
  4. Hardy, "The Darkling Thrush" (969)
  5. Shapiro, "The Fly" (1001)
B. Discuss the rhymes in one of the following. Does the poem employ exact rhymes or approximate rhymes? How do the kind and patter of rhyme contribute to the poem's effect?
  1. MacLeish, "Ars Poetica" (665)
  2. Robinson, "Eros Turannos" (682)
  3. Browning, "My Last Duchess" (775)
  4. Dickinson, "A narrow Fellow in the Grass" (955)
  5. Plath, "Spinster" (987)

Jane Eyre (end of the story)

Answer three of the five questions in the discussion tab above.

  1. Apply the allusions of Nebuchadnezzar and Samson (Ch.37), and to Apollo and Vulcan (Ch. 37) to the characters and actions of Rochester and St. John Rivers in the latter part of the book. What is the purpose of the allusion and is it effective? Use this resource from the University of Michigan.
  2. The literary device of the mystically heard cry int he night can be traced back to the Old Testament account of an incident in the prophet Samuel's childhood (I Samuel 3:4). Why does the text employ this device? Is it effective? Use this resource from Vanderbilt University.
  3. How do Jane's experiences at Moorhouse offer a complete contrast to her experiences at Thornfield?
  4. What considerations--other than the proverbial happy ending--do you suspect provoked the narrative/text to restore Rochester's sight at the end of the end of the Ferndean section of the novel?
  5. The action of the book may be said to be dominated or overshadowed by four strong male characters: John Reed, Rev./Mr. Brocklehurst, Edward Rochester, and St. John Rivers. What influence or effect does each of these males have on Jane Eyre's moral development? To what extent do these characters constitute the text's construction of the male gender or what it means to be male.
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Jane Eyre (Ch. 11-18)

Select one of the following prompts. Plan your response and post in the Discussion tab above under the appropriate prompt. Your responses should use at least two citations from the text as support. After posting, visit the responses of two classmates (this class or the other) and reply with commentary and/or questions regarding their ideas. (Select postings to which others have not yet responded.)

  1. In Rochester we see the kind of hero that the Romantic poet George Gordon, Lord Byron, created in Manfred (1817) and Don Juan (1819-1824). Lonely, defiant, angry at the universe and God for his alienation and disappointments in life, and (above all), brooding, ruggedly handsome, physically powerful, sexually attractive, and mysterious because of some secret associated with his past, the Byronic Hero rejects the judgments and conventions of his society. Explain with specific reference to his character, utterances, and behavior how Rochester may be classified as "Byronic."
  2. Duplicity and deceit are key features of the novel's plot. In addition to deceitful characters who have something to hide from Jane, there are a number of plot secrets that help to generate suspense. One might argue that each section of the book involves duplicitous characters and at least one major plot secret. Explain these elements with specific reference to the text.
  3. The importance of fire imagery throughout the novel is evident. For example, in ''as if I had been wandering amongst volcanic-looking hills, and had suddenly felt the ground quiver" (Ch. 18) we have an image that suggests one of the novel's major themes. How does the text employ fire both literally and figuratively in the Thornfield section?

"The Destructors"

Respond in the Discussion tab above by clicking on my post to answer the following:
Explain the connections between these quotations and the story:
  • "Human nature is not black and white but black and gray." Graham Greene
  • "Destruction, after all, is a form of creation." from "The Destructors"
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"Hunters in the Snow"

Respond to the following in the Discussion tab above:
  • Essentially, this story shares many of the same basic elements (chase, dogs, etc.) as "The Most Dangerous Game." In your words, explain what about this story suggests that it is a serious literary work and not a tale tossed together about three "hapless hunters."
Jane Eyre (the film) DIRECTIONS: Upon completion of the film, create your evaluation in the "discussion" tab above. In addition to your analysis, respond to at least one other classmate's critique of the film.